Carrollton Archives - Missourinet

Lawmaker worries northern Missouri’s flooding in recent years could impact Census numbers (AUDIO)

October 7, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

(This is the second part of Brian Hauswirth’s two-part series on the status of the 2020 Census in Missouri)

A state lawmaker from northwest Missouri’s Carrollton is worried that the 2020 Census may miss residents who’ve been impacted by Missouri River flooding in recent years.

State Rep. Peggy McGaugh, R-Carrollton, speaks on the Missouri House floor in Jefferson City on May 13, 2020 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

State Rep. Peggy McGaugh, R-Carrollton, represents the Missouri House on the state 2020 complete count committee. Her sprawling district stretches from near Lexington to Mendon.

“The people that have been affected by the many floods we’ve had in the last ten years have been upended and maybe in some other part of their city, their county, the state, that just simply didn’t get reached,” McGaugh says.

While she’s pleased Missouri is trending at 90 percent-plus census completion, she wants to make sure that all residents are counted.

She says residents in the Missouri River sugar tree bottoms area were displaced for about seven months. Representative McGaugh’s district has seen flooding annually in recent years.

“The (39th) district here is so large and so rural that it would be difficult for maybe one person or a team to really, really go door-to-door and find these people,” says McGaugh.

McGaugh’s district takes about two hours to get from one side to the other.

She is pleased that the U.S. Census Bureau will continue its count through the end of October. McGaugh lives in the district of U.S. Rep. Sam Graves, R-Tarkio, a district with 36 counties that is larger than nine states.

“I worry about his (Congressman Graves’) area, the whole top of the state of Missouri that might get left alone and not get the money that the Census brings in for the roads and the infrastructure and the schools. I don’t want them to be forgotten,” McGaugh says.

During the 1990s, northern Missouri had three congressional districts. They were represented by then-U.S. Reps. Pat Danner, D-Smithville, Harold Volkmer, D-Hannibal, and Ike Skelton, D-Lexington. Today, northern Missouri has one district (Graves), with one or two counties being represented by U.S. Reps. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Kansas City, and Vicky Hartzler, R-Harrisonville.

That’s because of northern Missouri’s continued drop in population numbers.

The 2020 Census aims to count every person living in the United States and five U.S. territories. The complete count committee is working to ensure an accurate count of everyone living in Missouri to secure federal funding and fair representation for Missourians during the next decade.

McGaugh praises Missouri 2020 complete count committee chair Karen Best, saying the former Branson mayor has done an excellent job. Former Mayor Best notes this year’s Census has been unprecedented, because of COVID-19.

Former Mayor Best says the committee’s goal is to submit a final report to the governor by November 30. McGaugh says she looks forward to helping with the final draft of the report to the governor.

McGaugh also emphasizes the effort has been bipartisan, saying it’s crucial that all residents in traditionally Democratic St. Louis and Kansas City are counted as well. She says it’s about ensuring that Missouri gets fair representation in the U.S. House.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full interview with State Rep. Peggy McGaugh, R-Carrollton, which was recorded on October 6, 2020:

Missouri’s complete count committee aims to submit final report by November 30 (AUDIO)

October 5, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

The chairperson of a committee working to ensure an accurate count of all people living in the state is pleased with Missourians’ response to the U.S. Census, which determines federal funding and congressional maps.

former Branson Mayor Karen Best chairs the Missouri 2020 Complete Count Committee (photo courtesy of the Complete Count Committee website)

Former Branson Mayor Karen Best chairs the Missouri 2020 Complete Count Committee, which is a collaboration of Missouri government, business, non-profit and community groups like the United Way of Greater St. Louis.

“Very happy to report that the last report I saw was that Missouri was trending at 99 percent completion, whether that was self-responding, whether that was group quarters responding or whether that was door-to-door response,” Best says.

The U.S. Census Bureau says group quarters are places where people live or stay in a group living arrangement. Examples include group homes, nursing homes, college housing and correctional facilities.

The 2020 Census aims to count every person living in the United States and five U.S. territories.

Former Mayor Best says this year’s Census has been unprecedented, because of COVID-19. She says safety has been the top priority.

“I feel we’ve done a really good job of overcoming that hurdle and that obstacle and making sure that we have the best count that we can have for Missouri, because it’s so important for funding and for representation both at the state level and the federal level,” says Best.

The complete count committee’s mission is to ensure an accurate count of everyone living in Missouri to secure federal funding and fair representation for Missourians during the next decade. She is hopeful that Missouri can keep its U.S. House representation in Washington, and someday re-gain the seat the state lost in 2010.

The 2010 Census essentially eliminated the district of then-U.S. Rep. Russ Carnahan, D-St. Louis. Missouri currently has eight U.S. House seats.

State Rep. Peggy McGaugh, R-Carrollton, a committee member, worries that not everyone has been counted in rural northern Missouri and in St. Louis and Kansas City.

Former Mayor Best says the committee’s goal is to submit a final report to the governor by November 30. She says there’s been a few challenges there as well, noting the committee’s liaison with Governor Mike Parson’s office has taken a job in private practice.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full interview with former Branson Mayor Karen Best, which was recorded on October 2, 2020:

Northern Missouri could see small tornadoes on Tuesday afternoon (AUDIO)

May 26, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

UPDATE AT 3:10 PM: The National Weather Service (NWS) in Pleasant Hill says the threat for severe weather over north central Missouri has diminished and moved north into Iowa. The NWS says there will still be scattered showers in the area, but that they’re not expecting them to be severe.

BRIAN’S ORIGINAL STORY:

The National Weather Service (NWS) says parts of northwest, north-central and northeast Missouri could see brief tornadoes Tuesday afternoon. NWS Pleasant Hill meteorologist Andy Bailey says damaging winds are also possible.

The National Weather Service (NWS) in Pleasant Hill says brief tornadoes are possible across north Missouri on Tuesday afternoon (May 26, 2020 map courtesy of NWS Pleasant Hill Twitter page)

“And really any of the towns from, say, Carrollton to Bethany to Kirksville would kind of be in that area that are possible to see these types of storms,” Bailey says.

Maryville, Moberly, Macon, Chillicothe, Trenton and Brookfield could also be impacted by brief tornadoes.

The NWS is urging residents across northern Missouri to be ready to take shelter quickly this afternoon. Winds of up to 60 miles-per-hour are possible.

“This is going to sound contradictory, but the storms are not going to be all that strong,” says Bailey. “However, any storms (that) can get rotating will have the potential to produce a brief, relatively weak tornado.”

The NWS says lightning is also possible, through about 4 p.m.

“They (possible tornadoes) should be relatively short-lived, should be just dropping down, hitting the ground, coming back up. Whether or not they hit anything is anybody’s guess at this point,” Bailey says.

The NWS is still investigating a possible tornado that touched down Monday evening near Mendon, in north-central Missouri. That’s west of Moberly.

Click hear to listen to the full interview between Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and National Weather Service (NWS) Pleasant Hill meteorologist Andy Bailey, which was recorded on May 26, 2020: